Reading books boosts school performance

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Reading books boosts school performance

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TIMESOFINDIA.COM

Created: Mar 4, 2020, 08:30 IST

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A recent study found that children who read outside their schoolwork had better academic performance.
A new study by the University of Malaga in Spain and University College London in the United Kingdom used longitudinal census data to examine the reading habits and grades of over 43,000 students between the ages of 10 and 11, and then again when they were 13 to 14. They found that the children who read had average marks of 0.22 points higher overall, which is the equivalent of three months’ worth of additional secondary school academic growth, the researchers discovered.

“Although three months’ worth of progress may sound comparatively small to some people, it equates to more than 10 percent of the three academic secondary school years measured — from when these young people are aged 11 years old to 14, which we know is a hugely developmental period,” said co-author Professor John Jerrim from University College London as reported by Psychcentral.com
“In an increasingly digital world, it’s important that young people are encouraged to find time to read a good book,” he went on to say, “Other less complex and less engaging forms of reading are unlikely to bring the same benefits for their cognitive development, and shouldn’t be counted as part of their reading time. This is particularly important for low-achievers, where any association is likely to be strongest.”

“Reading is a fundamental skill that plays a key part in all our lives,” added lead researcher Dr. Luis Alejandro Lopez-Agudo from the University of Malaga. “Our results provide further evidence that it’s not only whether young people read or not that matters, but also what they read.”

This grade increase only applied to those students that read books. Those who read comics, newspapers or even short stories didn't have the same result, another study found.

Researchers in Spain used data from a census carried out by the Andalusian Agency of Education Assessment. This included questionnaire responses completed during 2008 to 2009 by 10- to 11-year-olds, and from those aged 13 to 14 during 2011 and 2012. They analysed the data to see what the children were reading and how it affected their grades to find that the teens who read books every or almost every day scored 0.22 standard deviations higher (the equivalent of three months) on the literacy test than those who read books almost never.

They even found evidence of a positive spill-over of these good grades into other subjects, with a difference of around 0.20 standard deviations in mathematics! The only difference was that these children read books. The reading of comics, newspapers and magazines made no difference to the acacamic performace but a direct co-relation between students who read tales, novels or short stories and high scoring students.

Researchers admitted however that their study was limited and only focussed on students of a specific age an only in a small area. However many studies have found numerous advantages to children reading books so if you're wondering how to entertain your child in the upcoming holiday, it's worth getting them a book so they pick up the habit early

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